Like this:

For a good overview of the current Iran hostage crisis here’s a selection of links:

EU referendum covers the Rules of Engagement, my comment is that British Naval Regulations have always been of the strict “damned if you do, damned if you don’t ” variety, and they have always relied on the judgement and courage of their captains.

Like this:

As predicted earlier here, and here, the peace brokered at the Jirga in South Waziristan has failed, and Wana erupted in violence again Friday. The Frontier Post reports:

58 killed in Waziristan Jirga fails, aliens dig their heels in Aqeel Yousafzai
PESHAWAR: At least 58 people have been killed in fresh clashes between foreign militants and pro-government tribesmen in the South Waziristan tribal region, officials and residents said on Friday. The death toll from the raging battle includes 46 foreigners and 10 locals, a security official told The Frontier Post. He added the rivals were trading heavy rocket and mortar fire till nightfall. As tribal elders and religious scholars pressed on with tense negotiations to broker a fresh truce between the warring groups, the source revealed, two paramilitary troops were also killed in the hostilities. Sporadic fighting continued for a third day in Azam Warsak, Kalusha and Sheen Warsak areas near Wana. Tribal followers of Maulvi Nazir claimed capturing eight Uzbeks with bombs and landmines. â€œThe tribespeople are in possession of the dead bodies of some of the foreigners,â€ said a member of the dominant Wazir tribe. He confirmed the jirga had made little progress towards ending the intermittent clashes.

This fighting will continue for the local Wazir tribes have had enough, and while some Taliban leaders might think to control or direct this effort, it’s out of their hands. I’ll stick by what I said earlier:

The locals are now emboldened, and the past submerged honor feuds thatÂ have been biding their time will now allÂ surface. Thatâ€™s unstoppable, noÂ matter that Hamid Gul and Mullah Daddullah might be trying toÂ stop this.Â

The Wazirs also got some aid from the Pakistan Security forces when they asked, as this Article from Dawn points out, although the military officially denies this.

Official sources said a mortar shell hit the home of one Qimat Khan Sarkikhel in Ghwakha area, killing the two children.
Security officials said army fired artillery from the brigade headquarters in Zari Noor Colony and pounded hilltops in Shin Warsak area.
They said tribesmen and supporters of militant commander Maulvi Nazir, in coordination with the security forces, had dislodged foreigners from the hilltops and captured bunkers after heavy artillery shelling.
They said the security forces had provided human and material assistance to the group which had launched a campaign against the foreigners, particularly Uzbeks.
They said the army had fired artillery in retaliation and the security forces had entered Shin Warsak to assist the pro-government tribesmen.
The sources said the clashes intensified at about 2pm on Friday and the rival groups targeted each otherâ€™s positions with mortars and rockets in Azam Warsak, Jaghundai, Kalosha, Shin Warsak and Ghwakha areas.
They said 12 combatants, seven of them foreigners, had been killed. The foreigners were hiding in a government school. At least 15 people from both sides were wounded in the gunbattle.

All across the muslim world we are seeing muslim vs muslim violence, and it will continue. This is the ancient power struggle of the Islamic world, and the payback Islamic leaders, both secular and religious, gained by nurturing extremism: The crows always come home to roost.

Here’s an exampleÂ of how the locals feel, from a letter to theÂ editor inÂ Dawn:

Every second day a psycho appears from nowhere and explodes himself in the name of Islam. How much longer will the people continue to suffer at the hands of those who relish building empires on the corpses of poor people?Â

So by creating secret armies of extremists to use againstÂ neighbors,Â muslim leadersÂ sow the wind and the resultant whirlwinds are indiscriminate in their destruction.

Along with that we have the Taliban desperate to begin the Spring offensive and resorting to Press Gangs, and that has now backfired. Bill Roggio has more on this here, please take a few minutes to read the comments, there’s an interesting debate in them.